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As Spring approaches and warmer weather makes its return, what can we do to protect ourselves from heat related illnesses while exercising outdoors? Illnesses like heat exhaustion and heatstroke are easily preventable. Outlined below you will find some tips to keep you safe and healthy as the weather heats up.

Stay hydrated – You’ve got to drink LOTS of fluids, to replace those you lose sweating. Drinking 8 oz of water every 15 minutes while exercising is recommended in a heated environment.

Wear a hat and/or sunscreen – Makes sense, right? Just by reducing the amount of sun that reaches your skin, you keep yourself cooler. And if you’ve ever had a bad sunburn, you know it only makes the heat feel hotter. On top of the fact that you’ll be reducing your risk of skin cancer. Added perk!

Seek out shade – Just avoid being directly in the sun if at all possible. The air temperature will feel as much as 15 degrees cooler in the shade.

Allow time for your body to acclimate to the heat – It can take as long as 2 weeks for your body to completely acclimate to exercising in a heated environment. Consider reducing your exercise intensity and duration if you are just beginning to exercise in the warmer temperatures.

Above all, just listen to your body. If you start to feel any symptoms of nausea, dizziness, fatigue and/or shortness of breath, stop exercising immediately and ask for help. If recognized early enough, moving to a cooled area and drinking water will usually get rid of any symptoms of heat illness. Happy exercising everybody! Stay safe out there!

It is the best time of year to get outdoors here in Florida! Spring is here and things are starting to get warmer as we move into Summer. This phrase does not always bring to mind the thought of exercise but that’s because you might be looking at it the wrong way. Depending on what you like, exercise outdoors can be truly rewarding. It can help decrease stress and increase motivation. Just pick something you really like to do so you can look forward to doing it. Here are some possible suggestions:

Walk – call a friend in your neighborhood to go for a walk. Catch up on the local news and share a laugh as you spend some time outdoors enjoying the wonderful weather we have here in Florida this time of year.

Bike – Dust off those pedals of your bicycle sitting in the garage and go find an adventure. Bike to a lake or park and see what others are up to. You might get more ideas on your travels. Stationary bikes are great too if you join a class indoors where you can get motivated.

Play a Friendly Game- There’s lot of things to do right where you live! There’s basketball courts and tennis courts right here for you, this is the best time to get outdoors and enjoy the awesome Florida weather we brag about.

Swim- Looking for something low-impact and easy on the joints? Go for a swim or take your workout to the pool with Aqua Fitness.

Yoga – if you want to work out with a little more control, perhaps a yoga session in your community will give you the relaxation and enjoyment you are looking for. It’s always more fun if you ask someone you know to join you! METFitness has Yoga every Thursday evening at 6pm at B Resort and Spa in Orlando. Check out our website for more information on joining us for classes here! http://www.metfitnessflorida.com

Whatever you decide to do, put the idea of fun at the front of your plan, and do something that you will look forward to doing. Remember the child in you and get out of your house and have fun!

Winter Garden Returns with Metfitness this Summer!

Aqua Fitness and Aqua Zumba will be returning to the Winter Garden schedule starting May 13th for the entire summer! Stay tuned for more details and the full 2017 summer class schedule.

Interested in becoming an instructor?

METFitness will be having an Aqua Fitness Training that is open to all fitness professionals in the Orlando area! For more details about the training, or if you are interested in teaching classes with us, please email us on our contact page at:

Valentine’s Day is a time of year when we show our love and gratitude to the special people in our lives. We shower our loved ones with shows of affection, not only on this holiday, but also in our daily lives year round. We all want to make others feel loved and admired, but what about ourselves? In order to serve those around us in the most meaningful way, self-love is essential.

Many people that consciously embark on a self-love journey are inspired to do so by someone else in their life. Love for yourself lives not only in our minds, but also in every cell of our bodies. Nurturing yourself, mind and body, has been undeniably linked with a longer, healthier, and happier life.

One of the primary ways to cultivate self-love is through exercise. Of course exercise makes you feel good for the superficial reasons – when you look good, you feel good – but there’s so much more to it than that. We’ve all heard it; exercise releases endorphins. These are beautiful little chemicals that your brain pumps out to make you feel good. Improved self-esteem is a well-know benefit of regular physical activity. Exercising, your body releases chemicals called endorphins that trigger a positive feeling in the body. So, even on those low energy days, just show up. If you can just show up to that class or the gym, the second you start moving, your brain will start to reward you. And that in turn will make you want to replicate the feeling. And when you are truly happy, high on life, your amazing mood will positively affect others.

Meditation is another way to really check in with yourself and nurture your mental and emotional health. Many extremely successful people have shared that meditation has absolutely been a key part of their success. Oprah, Steve Jobs, and Sting – these people have testified to the value of daily meditation and even admit that some of their best ideas came to them during this time of introspection. It’s like a daily cleaning for your mind.

In the age of social media, we are constantly being bombarded by everyone else’s thoughts and opinions. Meditation allows us to hear ourselves, and only ourselves, and the insight and wisdom that can come from just paying attention in the moment will surprise you. Even if you feel like you have no idea how to start, you can find a plethora of free, guided, meditation videos online. Just pick one and see what happens. Meditation is like any other type of exercise – just focused on your brain. It does require practice and patience. You don’t expect the rest of your body to change overnight, so don’t expect your brain to learn to meditate perfectly either. But if you stick with it, the rewards can be very satisfying.

So just remember, when you’re sending out love and gratitude to the people in your life, add yourself to that list. Sometimes being the best version of ourselves is the best gift we can give to others.

Many of us are already aware that October is breast cancer awareness month. Perhaps you have seen people wearing their pink to show support in finding a cure, or have heard about fundraising events in your area, or perhaps you’ve even seen the pink items for purchase in the stores. Every year the instructors at METFitness, like to do our part to help support awareness and raise money for the prevention and treatment of breast cancer with Zumba Parties in Pink or other Fun Fitness events.

This year we have already held several Zumba Pink Parties in efforts to raise money for the Florida Cancer Institute. However, there are other great ways to have fun while getting fit to support a good cause, like participating in a 5k walk/run. If you haven’t joined in yet this October, it’s not too late! Check with your local newspaper or community website to see what’s going on near you. Or give us a call and try something new!

You work out regularly. Keeping fit is important to you. You try to eat healthy meals and snacks. You probably think you are doing everything right as you sit down and relax to watch an evening of television or camp out with your computer game for the night. Stop!

As reported in recent journal and magazine articles, more than half of the average person’s waking hours are spent sitting: watching television, working at a computer, commuting, or doing other physically inactive pursuits. That sedentary life style is difficult to balance even with the 30-60 minutes of exercise you do most days.

Various studies show that people who sat for prolonged periods of time had a higher risk of dying from all causes — even those who exercised regularly.

So what can we do? Breaks from sitting as often as possible –even breaks of one minute can improve your health. Exercise is great, but balance your day with activity breaks between sitting times. Time to stand up for yourself.

As summer comes to an end, it is time for new beginnings. Students are off to another school year. But education is not just for children. To keep on top of our game, all of us need to keep learning and growing in our respective career paths.

One of the ways we learn as adults is by taking classes and attending conventions in our industry. Luckily for those of us living in the Orlando area, there are lots of conventions that take place here focusing on fitness. Recently there was a Zumba Convention in Orlando with thousands of people excited and happy to connect with others in their quest for fitness. Picture large meeting halls with hundreds of energetic people dancing and sharing their passion for exercise. The excitement was contagious with many master instructors leading classes and workshops on helping people improve their skills.

Many of our instructors attended this convention and came away jazzed by their experience. They have learned new routines and are now bringing this excitement to all of our clients. They are renewed in their sense of being an integral part of the fitness industry and proud of their roles in helping people to grow strong and fit.